Act Manfully

This story traces the history of CBC Pretoria from its inception in 1922 to 1957. Why 1957? Well, that's when I left the college and went to Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), and lost touch with the school. The 1950s were regarded as the Golden Years of the college and therefore selected as a period of significant achievement and development. But to focus on the 50s in isolation doesn't make sense without seeing what went before that decade, so a retrospective view to the year 1922 includes a history of the city in which the school was founded and, to a lesser extent, the development of South Africa.

Knowing that thousands of boys and, in more recent times, girls, have passed through the hallowed halls of CBCs throughout the world, I believe they can identify with an educational ethos that has shaped the lives of thousands of learners in their formation and maturity.

When CBC Pretoria existed during this selected period, it accepted only boys, and its teaching staff consisted largely of ordained religious Brothers. Furthermore, the college existed during the height of apartheid when pigmentation determined its admission policy and contact with pupils of other race groups was rare.

This story has a place in the annals of education in South Africa as it bears many unique hallmarks that, despite political constraints, are characteristic of what dedication and commitment to the teaching profession can achieve.